The art of craft — Gqeberha’s RHBC scoops seven awards at African Beer Cup

When the time comes to crack a cold one, there are many different opinions on what the best beer might be.

Some people prefer a lager; others a pilsener or a stout. Some would say, “The one in my hand”.

But for the more discerning sipper, who prefers their brew more bespoke, Nelson Mandela Bay is home to one of South Africa’s most decorated craft breweries.

At the 2026 African Beer Cup, the Richmond Hill Brewing Company entered its brews in seven different categories and landed on the podium every time.

Over the last six years, RHBC has amassed 41 awards, with one of their crowd favourites, Two Rand Man, being recognised as the most awarded beer at the African Beer Cup.

“We finished first in two categories, which is always great. But the fact that every one of our entries managed a silver or bronze speaks to the overall quality of the products that we produce, and I’m quite proud and excited about that,” said RHBC co-owner Niall Cook.

The African Beer Cup is an annual event where craft breweries from across the continent come together and compete for the title of best beer — either in a specific category or as the overall winner.

The judging panel consists of master tasters, master brewers, sommeliers and technical advisers from some of the biggest beer brands worldwide. The panel is split, and each beer is judged twice, with the average score making up the final mark.

There are gold, silver and bronze awards for each category. However, placing first does not automatically guarantee gold, as the beer still has to achieve a certain mark on the judges’ scorecards.

Despite missing gold by a very small margin, RHBC still achieved silver and placed first in two categories with its speciality IPA, Fever Dream, and its amber malty European lager, Velvet Doppelbock — a collaboration with another Eastern Cape brewer, Tom du Toit.

Besides these winning beers, Cook was particularly proud of their third-place in the Speciality Beer category with a beer called Unanimous, a collaboration between RHBC and the Yeastern Cape Brew Club.

“With this beer, members of the homebrew club came together, and all of us sat down in front of a whiteboard and just started shouting out ideas. Ingredients, recipes, methods, everything was thrown on the boards, and as a collective we voted what we would keep or scrap.

“In the end, we reached a ‘unanimous’ decision on what the beer should be, and we ended up with a mix-style hoppy red lager that won us a bronze. For me personally, this was the most important award of this year’s African Beer Cup,” said Cook.

He said Yeastern Cape is the province’s only official homebrew club, making for a friendly community willing to exchange ideas and work together rather than compete with each other.

RHBC was licensed in 2015 when it operated out of its first premises in the Gqeberha suburb of Richmond Hill. It later moved to its current home base in the Baakens Valley, where its brewery and taproom steadily grew in popularity.

In recent years, some of its staple brands, like Car Park John and Jane Doe, became readily available at other outlets, while its seasonal and speciality beers remained in-house exclusives.

Bigger presence

Over the past year, Cook and his team have shifted their focus away from distant markets and instead focused on building a bigger presence in Nelson Mandela Bay.

In recent months, they opened two new premises. RHBC Kragga Kamma has become a secondary shop, similar to their original taproom, while Filthy’s in Walmer is a more commercial venture that features a variety of brands, not only RHBC’s.

“We realised that shipping some of our speciality products, and making allowances for retail markups, was way too costly. So now we want to push more of our product locally and focus on developing new and more diverse seasonal brews.

“Our staples will always be available, but we like to push the boundaries and try new things, and I want people coming to our shops to be surprised by our variety every time they come back.”

Cook said he refuses to cut corners in the brewing process. He buys only the best-quality ingredients, uses the best equipment, and takes his time to layer each step of the recipe.

“And I don’t keep any secrets. I think RHBC has become a trusted and approachable brand because we are part of the community. Anyone who wants advice or recipes is always welcome, and we are open to collaborations and working with other brewers. That way we build a community and everyone wins,” Cook said. DM